


Meet You Halfway

by FridayMorning



Series: Give Them a Reason [7]
Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Catra (She-Ra) Needs a Hug, Developing Friendships, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Everyone Needs A Hug, Glimmer and Catra are more alike than they think, Minor Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Nightmares, Post-Canon, Self Confidence Issues, Self-Doubt, Swearing, Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-10
Updated: 2020-07-10
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:14:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25188505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FridayMorning/pseuds/FridayMorning
Summary: Glimmer rolled her neck and popped something. She made a satisfied sound and looked at Catra. “So… what’s your deal? And don’t say you don’t have one, cause you looked like you were just as close to the edge as I was this morning.”Catra opened her mouth to deny it, but Glimmer’s raised eyebrow and crossed arms made her close it. She weighed her options. Reluctantly, she said, “I… had a dream last night.” She hesitated.Well, it’s not like I can tell Adora, and I really want to get this off my chest tosomeone.
Relationships: Catra & Glimmer (She-Ra)
Series: Give Them a Reason [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1784470
Comments: 11
Kudos: 154





	Meet You Halfway

It was dark in the bedroom, and all Catra could see was the shuddering outline of Adora’s back and shoulders as she quietly sobbed.

Catra’s senses were sharp, but the room felt off in a way she could not place. The details were muted and shifting. She could not gauge the distance between herself and her girlfriend. She reached out, but could not touch her. “Adora, what’s wrong?”

“I can’t do this anymore.”

Her body reacted to the words like an unexpected bucket of ice water. “What?”

Adora kept her gaze on the wall. “I can’t carry all of your pain. It’s- it’s too heavy for me to bear.” She slipped out of the bed. “I’m sorry that I can’t give you what you need, but it’s killing me.”

Catra tried to speak and found her words had caught in her throat. Adora stepped away, and the moonlight revealed the back of her pajama top had been shredded open and stained with blood. Catra’s head swam with sickness.

Adora turned her head enough to reveal claw marks carved down her cheek, still trickling blood over the side of her neck. In a voice as soft as silk, she said, “You’re killing me, Catra.”

Catra woke up panting and drenched in sweat, as she had for the past week. It did not make sense. The first few weeks she spent in the castle, she had been fine. Once she adjusted to the plush mattress and pillows, she had been able to sleep regularly. The nightmares came out of nowhere.

Adora stirred beside her. “Catra? You okay?” Two days ago when Catra had admitted the reason for the bags beneath her eyes, her girlfriend insisted on moving into her bedroom so Catra would not deal with future night terrors alone.

She took deep breaths to counter the tightness in her chest. “Nn- yeah.”

Adora stretched and draped an arm around Catra’s shoulders. “You want to talk about it?”

Catra knew the questions her girlfriend did not ask. Was it the one about Horde Prime drowning you again? Was it about Shadow Weaver? The one about her sacrificing herself, or the one about her betraying you? Was it about me dying? The one where you killed me, or the one where you watch Hordak do it? Adora knew about them all. She would flinch at the same points no matter how many times Catra described them.

All of them except this one, too new and painful for Catra to process. “No,” she said softly, “Let’s go back to sleep.”

“You sure?” Adora asked. She yawned wide enough for her jaw to make a popping sound. “I don’t mind.”

Catra shook her head. “It’s okay. I’m… I’m okay. I love you.”

“Okay. I love you, too.” Adora settled down again. “Remember, I’m always here for you.” Moments later, sleep took her away again.

Catra stayed awake for the rest of the night, staring at Adora’s unscarred cheek without fully believing her eyes.

. . . .

The next morning after eating breakfast in bed with Melog, Catra forced herself to stretch her legs. Ever since the nightmares started, she found it harder and harder to leave her bedroom and interact with anyone other than Adora. She had missed the past five morning meditation sessions Perfuma had been kind enough to invite her to join. It was as if all of the progress she made bonding with a few of the princesses and learning how to navigate the castle had been erased.

 _I can’t let that happen. I owe Adora that much_ , she thought as she walked down one of the many twisting hallways. Melog seemed content to wander with her despite her lack of a specific destination. Catra pet her friend behind the ears from time to time.

As they approached a corner, Catra heard the distinct sound of frustrated crying. Even as she recognized the source, part of her mind identified it as Adora breaking down from too much time spent serving as Catra’s only form of support.

“Sparkles?” The princess stood stiffly with her fists clenched, gazing at the mess of paperwork on the floor and letting angry tears drip down her face. She looked up, and her pinkish brown eyes filled with an intensity that made Catra step back and Melog bristle. “Whoa, there.”

“Go ahead and laugh.” Her voice was hard and tinged with the desperation of someone standing at the edge of a vast drop.

Catra’s tail flicked. “I could force a chuckle if you want, but I don’t think that’ll clean everything up.”

Her walls fell and she hid a snort by rubbing the back of her hand across her face. “Yeah, probably not.” She crouched and began to sort the papers into piles. Catra crouched as well, but was hesitant to touch anything since she did not know how the pages were organized. Glimmer noticed. “All the pages have headings at the top, there are a total of three reports.”

Catra nodded and helped sort everything into three different piles. Next, they easily ordered each pile because someone had been wise enough to write page numbers on every sheet.

“Thanks.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Catra met her eyes, and Glimmer looked much better. She had her feelings under control again and resembled royalty rather than a child on the verge of a tantrum. Tension lingered in her jaw, though, and similar emotions must have been present in Catra’s expression, because at the same time they asked:

“Do you want to talk?”

They laughed awkwardly. “It’s been a while since the last time it was just the two of us,” Glimmer said.

Catra thought back to the last time they talked alone comfortably. Well, not comfortably, but… “Yeah. I can’t say I wish I was back there, though.”

“Agreed.” Glimmer shifted the paperwork in her arms. “I’ll finish taking this where it needs to go, and we can meet up in my room?” she offered. “I’m assuming you know where it is.”

“I’ll figure it out.” After Glimmer nodded and left, Catra noticed Melog was purring. She smiled and pressed a kiss to the top of her companion’s head before heading in what she hoped was the right direction.

In the end she only had to ask a guard for directions once, which Catra counted as a major accomplishment.

By the time Glimmer came in, Melog had found a way up to her bed and sprawled across the pillows. _Seriously, who hangs their bed from the_ ceiling _? How is that safe?_ Catra had chosen a more reasonable spot sprawled out on the pillowed alcove by the large window.

“Hey.”

“Care to make some room?”

Catra gave a melodramatic sigh and tucked her legs underneath her so Glimmer had space to sit. Despite Catra’s attitude, Melog remained relaxed in the cozy hideaway. Catra hoped Glimmer would not read into the subtext.

Glimmer sat and offered her a tired smile. “Thank you for helping me.”

“Don’t mention it, Sparkles. You looked on the verge of a meltdown, and where would Bright Moon be with its princess in tears?”

It was the wrong thing to say, based on how Glimmer’s smile tightened at the edges and her gaze shifted to her hands. “Yeah.”

Catra looked out the window toward the woods. “So, what was all that paperwork about?”

“Huh? Oh, everyone has been working hard to plan routes that will connect our kingdoms to Scorpia’s to help things like trade and travel. The original ones were blocked off or destroyed ages ago. We’ve come up with three major plans and are almost ready to start enacting them off paper.”

“Cool.” There was so much to politics and post-war reparations that Catra had not considered. _Maybe I should start showing more interest in those meetings. Ask Adora questions, or something._ An unexpected pang of guilt hit her chest. When was the last time that she had a conversation with Adora that did not lead back to her own problems?

“How did you do it?”

Catra snapped out of her thoughts. She assumed Glimmer must have been talking for a while, but the question was all she processed. “What?”

“You- for over a year, you were the leader of the Horde in everything except title-” Catra did not like where this was going. “How did you stop yourself from having a breakdown?”

Catra stared at her blankly. Then she laughed. She _cackled._ She laughed until her sides were sore and her throat burned. When the fit finally left her, Catra wiped a tear from her eye and smiled at Glimmer, who looked ready to summon a royal medic. “Entrapta and Scorpia never told you?”

Glimmer only blinked in response.

Catra laughed again, but controlled it this time to only last a few seconds. “If I had to give a rough estimate? I fell apart at least once every three weeks for the entire duration of my role as Hordak’s second-in-command.” Without Entrapta and Scorpia, the number probably would have been higher and the Rebellion would have succeeded within three months, but Catra did not need to bring that up. _Entrapta._ As if on reflex, she felt a pang between her ribs. _Nope, definitely did not need to bring that up._

“What?”

Catra cleared her throat. “Yeah. I mean, I was balancing battle plans, ensuring troops were properly equipped, and keeping order in the Fright Zone as the war went on. My job was definitely a lot different than yours, but the stress? I know exactly how you’re feeling.”

“But- but you always acted so confident! Every time we fought-”

“The key word is _acted._ ” Catra stared at her knees, not necessarily wanting to relive memories from before she switched sides. “The point is, I get it. Your dad and Hordak could not possibly be more different, but the role of second-in-command comes with universal responsibilities and, well, _overwhelmingness._ You feel like no matter how hard you try-”

“You’ll mess up, and everyone will be convinced that you aren’t fit for the role,” Glimmer continued, “One mistake, and they’ll realize all the bad things that were said about you are true, that you’re an immature, irresponsible _kid_ who’s in over her head-”

Catra gently took Glimmer’s wrists in her hands. The princess blinked, realized she had curled her hands into fists, and forced them to relax. “Yeah,” Catra said. “That’s the feeling.”

They held eye contact as Glimmer got her breathing back under control. Above their heads, Melog stirred. Catra took a deep breath herself and motioned for the cat to settle down. She let go once Glimmer was calm. “But in the end, it’s just a feeling.” Catra looked out the window again. “At least, that’s what Perfuma said when I tried to explain it to her.” The other princess’s advice and recommended mantras helped a little, but talking about it to someone who truly understood was different.

“Yeah.” Glimmer swallowed. “A feeling. And feelings… pass.”

“And if they don’t, you fight them.”

Gimmer smiled. “Because we’re strong enough to prove our intrusive thoughts wrong?”

 _Looks like I’m not the only one who’s talked to Perfuma about this._ “I was thinking more because the consequences of fighting yourself are less drastic than lashing out at everyone else.”

Glimmer snorted. “Yeah, I know that one pretty well, too.”

They lapsed into a comfortable silence. Catra curled her tail neatly beneath her. She watched Melog yawn and find a new sleeping position on Glimmer’s bed. “Hope you don’t mind,” Catra said in reference to her companion.

“Not at all.” Glimmer rolled her neck and popped something. She made a satisfied sound and looked at Catra. “So… what’s your deal? And don’t say you don’t have one, cause you looked like you were just as close to the edge as I was this morning.”

Catra opened her mouth to deny it, but Glimmer’s raised eyebrow and crossed arms made her close it. She weighed her options. Reluctantly, she said, “I… had a dream last night.” She hesitated. _Well, it’s not like I can tell Adora, and I really want to get this off my chest to_ someone.

When she finished explaining the dream, Glimmer stared at her with a mixture of apprehension and confusion. Catra sighed. “Look, I’m not- I’m not the kind of person who reaches out for help. Now, I’m constantly going to Adora whenever I have a problem, whether it’s about adjusting to life here or something from the past seizing control of my brain, and she’s always so cool about it cause she loves me, and I _know_ she loves me- but what if one day she wakes up and can’t do it anymore? I know helping me takes a lot out of her emotionally, even if she tries not to show it. It’s like I see this shadowy figure driving a skiff at full speed toward me, but I can’t get out of the way, and as it’s getting closer and closer I realize _I’m the one driving-_ ”

Catra shut her eyes. She took a deep breath. “She’s… she’s the only one I’m close enough with to open up to when I’m going through a rough patch. It feels like this one has no end, though, which doesn’t make sense because the war is over and I should be _fine_ and I know that if I keep doing this I’m going to lose her, but what are my other options? None! I have none!” Catra groaned and sharply leaned her head back, knocking it against the wall behind her.

The corners of Glimmer’s mouth tightened. “I see where you’re coming from.”

Catra raised her eyebrows. “How?”

“You know how I kind of fell apart a few minutes ago?” Glimmer gestured as if her hand could point through time. “Adora and Bow have seen that exact meltdown, or a very similar variant, more times than I can count. After a while I started trying to hide them, because I didn’t want to drag my friends down by constantly talking about my stress over problems that felt… small in the long run. I mean, we won a war that had been going on for centuries a little more than two months ago! I didn’t want to drag down their moods. So I bottled it all up and helped my dad with a smile for a while, and then I exploded. I had the biggest meltdown in the history of meltdowns. And you know who found me?”

In a cautious voice reserved for answering Shadow Weaver’s seemingly obvious questions that always resulted in Catra getting yelled at, she said, “Bow and Adora?”

“No,” Glimmer said, but it was in a gentle tone that Shadow Weaver had never genuinely used, “Mermista. She listened to me about everything, and she gave some really good advice from her own experiences.”

“Like what?”

“Like, when I sense that I’m going to get too overwhelmed if I keep working on a particular task, I should take a break and find something else to do that will absorb all my energy. For her, it’s reading mystery novels or swimming a few laps.”

Catra nodded. “Kind of like meditating? Perfuma’s shown me a few moves,” Catra said. _Not that I’ve been attending her sessions for the past few days._ Remembering how she had been shutting out everyone except Adora during her dark days made her squirm. “But if her advice worked, why did I find you looking like Frosta when Scorpia tells her she can’t have ice cream before dinner?” she snapped. _Really? Reverting to insults as soon as you’re uncomfortable? Great job, real mature._

Glimmer snorted. “Yeah. It still happens, but it’s normal. Everyone needs time to recover from whatever they’re fighting. You could have the best support team in Etheria and know the best coping mechanisms, and your healing still wouldn’t be instant. There would still be rough patches- like when I’m put in charge of a lot of paperwork and I drop it.” She smiled. “Shit happens to all of us.”

The casual profanity made Catra give a choked laugh.

“The most important thing I learned from Mermista, though, was that more people are willing to help me than I expect. I don’t need to put it all on one or two friends.” Glimmer leaned forward conspiratorially. “If I think about it, our friends probably are the best support team in Etheria.”

Catra felt uncomfortable again. “Your friends. I mean, if I count as their friend, we’re not close enough to talk about heavy shit like this.” _Hence my problem with Adora._

When she dared to look at Glimmer’s face again, the princess seemed caught in a serious struggle to plan out her reply. Glimmer sat up straight. “I understand why you might think that’s true, but it’s not,” she began, “because every princess here has referred to you fondly in front of me at least once.”

Catra struggled to find a counter. “Mermista.”

Glimmer shook her head. “She called you cool. Sea Hawk is officially jealous.” Before Catra could call bullshit, she continued, “Perfuma has complimented you several times in passing and expressed gratitude for your continued help repairing the greenhouse with her. Scorpia- do I even need to explain Scorpia? Frosta asked me if we could have another sleepover before all the princesses have to return to their respective kingdoms because last time, _you_ weren’t there. Also, Bow and I are still super grateful for when you helped us find her, so thanks again for that.” She looked a little sheepish, then finished, “Even Netossa and Spinnerella like you.”

Catra blinked. Her mouth moved, but no words came out. The more she thought about it, maybe she _had_ worked hard over the past two months to give the princesses reasons to trust her. In fact, she and the princesses already had discussions about ‘heavy shit’. Mermista and her time under Horde Prime’s control. Frosta and the feeling of not fitting in. The list went on. Then, a single name hit Catra like a brick. The one person she had avoided interacting with since her betrayal. “Entrapta.”

Glimmer hesitated, biting her lip in a way that answered Catra’s worst fears with a resounding _yes._

“Entrapta adores you.”

Catra’s throat closed. “What?” she choked out. “How? No. Sparkles, this-”

“I mean it.” Glimmer held eye contact. “You definitely need to talk to her, but I know the conversation will go better than you think.”

Catra’s chest felt tight. Her tail lashed. She was seized with the urge to flee.

Glimmer set a hand on her shoulder “If you’re in a bad place and feel lonely right now, though, focus on the others. Because even if you don’t believe it, if you reach out…”

“They’ll meet me halfway,” Catra finished quietly, Bow’s words coming to her from a place she did not previously know existed. At the same time, she was not surprised. Her throat and chest still felt tight. “You know I’m not good with promises, Sparkles, especially not when it comes to stuff like this… but I’ll try.” She rested her hand on top of Glimmer’s for a moment before sitting up straight and swinging her legs over.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m a lot better, really.” Catra stood and brushed off her clothes. Melog stretched and hopped down each platform until they arrived by Catra’s side. “I think I’m going to finish my walk now. I have a lot to think about.”

“Are you sure?” Her voice contained a note of genuine concern.

Catra smiled. “Yeah, I’m sure.” She rubbed Melog behind their ears. “Look, my emotional support cat is good, so I’m good.”

Glimmer returned her smile. “Okay.” She stood and chewed her lip for a few seconds. “Before you go… thank you.”

Catra read her body language. She gave a dramatic sigh. “What, Sparkles, you want a hug?” The corner of her mouth curved up. “I think I can manage one.”

Glimmer blushed and opened her arms. Catra stepped forward and hugged her. With her face pressed against Catra’s shoulder, she muttered, “I care about you. I know I poke fun at you a lot, but I mean it. If you need someone, I’m here.”

Catra rubbed her back and wondered why she was the one doing the comforting in this situation. She found herself not minding. “I know, Glimmer. You’re a good friend.”

They parted. Glimmer sniffled. She smiled again. “Have fun on your walk.”

“I’ll try.” Catra walked to the door. She paused and turned. “Hey, maybe tomorrow... you could join Perfuma and I for a morning meditation?” _Crap. I need to find her and apologize for the past few days._

Glimmer brushed a piece of hair behind her ear. “I’d like that.”

Catra nodded. “Cool.” She pushed the door open and slipped out.

For the rest of her walk, Melog purred beside her.

. . . .

Adora’s face lit up when Catra set a plate of food on the table and sat beside her. “I thought you said you wanted to stay in your room with Melog today?”

Catra fixed a strand of hair behind Adora’s ear. “Yeah, but then I realized how many lunches I’ve missed with my favorite girl.”

Adora lightly blushed. “I could have come to you.”

“Nah, it’s fine.” Catra rolled her shoulders and looked around at the other tables where most of the princesses had already sat and begun to eat. “Where are Glimmer and Bow?” she asked. Using their real names felt strange on her tongue, but not unpleasant. Not that she would admit it in front of them.

“They’re on their way.” Adora continued to stare at her girlfriend. “How are you feeling? I know last night was…” She inclined her head knowingly rather than finish the sentence.

“I’m doing a lot better, now.” Catra tried a bite of the sandwich and made a pleased sound. “Tell me about your day so far. Anything fun happen?”

Adora beamed. “Oh! We made a lot of progress. It was me, Mermista, Glimmer, and Scorpia- and Swift Wind, of course- and we were talking about her progress reopening her kingdom…”

Throughout Adora’s recap, Catra nodded along and occasionally asked questions. By the time Bow and Glimmer arrived, all traces of concern had left Adora’s face and she was practically buzzing with energy. It was nice to see her so excited over each step closer she and her allies- _Friends_ , Catra mentally corrected- took toward a fully-recovered Etheria.

“It’s so exciting! Oh, man, tomorrow when we have our follow-up you should be there! You know the layout of the Fright Zone super well, it’ll be a huge help,” Adora suggested. 

Glimmer caught Catra’s eye across the table. The corner of her mouth lifted and she dipped her head in a tiny nod.

“Okay,” Catra replied, “I’ll be there.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! I hope you enjoyed this one, it took a lot more effort than expected to get it done. I'm pretty proud of the final product! I will definitley add at least one more part to this series for Entrapta. Please continue to comment! I read them all and they make me feel warm and fuzzy inside.


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